For Sisters, Beauty is Only Scalp Deep

BY PETER B. TAUB
Times Union Metro section
August 29, 1991

Two sisters in the beauty business have taken a dramatic step to convince their father that looks really don’t matter that much.

The sisters are 31-year-old twins Deborah Netti and Deanna Netti-Cahill, who own Jumelle, a cosmetics studio they opened five years ago on Monroe Avenue. The name of the studio, which has more than 700 clients, is the French word for twins.

“We instruct women on how to make themselves feel beautiful,” said Deborah, a portrait artist who created the Jumelle technique. “It emphasizes each person’s natural beauty through contouring and highlighting.”

Recently, the sisters have been burdened by a weightier concern than their business.

In May, their father, John Netti of Perinton, a 56-year-old data processing consultant, had surgery at Strong to have a malignant brain tumor removed. Radiation and chemotherapy caused his hair to fall out.

To boost his morale and speed his recovery, his daughters have been encouraging him to help out at their studio as a form of therapy.

“We let him know we could use his expertise,” Deborah said, “but he made a comment about us not wanting to have a bald man around.”

That gave Deanna an idea.

“She suggested we shave our heads so our dad would get the message that hair is not important,” Deborah said. “And that’s what we did. We want to make him feel comfortable working at the studio.”

Netti doesn’t yet feel up to helping his daughters, but they’re hoping he will later on.

Meanwhile, his daughters, who used to have shoulder-length hair, have learned something from his, and their, experience.

“Hair, or lack of hair, is not important,” Deborah said. “Women place great value on their hair. If their hairstyle isn’t right, they don’t feel happy about themselves.

“But what’s important is human life. People look too much to their external appearance for approval. Shaving our heads has opened up a new perspective for Deanna and me by helping us realize that a person’s true beauty is within herself of himself.”